DOCSLIB.ORG

The Guptas and the Vakatakas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Guptas and the Vakatakas THE GUPTAS AND THE VAKATAKAS • After the fall of the Maurya Empire, the Kushans in the North and the Satavahanas in the Deccan emerged as the two major political powers. • They not only brought political unity and economic prosperity to these regions, but were also great stabilizing forces in their respective areas. • Around c. 230 CE, the Kushans’ reign ultimately came to an end in northern India, and a considerable part of its empire came under the suzerainty of the Murundas (possibly kinsmen of the Kushans). • The Murundas ruled for a short time span of about 25−30 years. • This was the Gupta Empire, which kept northern India politically united for more than a century. • The Guptas are believed to be feudatories of the Kushans. They are most likely Vaishyas in origin, and they ruled over fertile parts of the madhyadesha, that is, anuganga (the middle Gangetic basin), saketa (modern Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh), and Magadha (mostly Bihar). • Prayag (modern Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) was probably their important centre of power, which, due to its strategic location, further aided in the expansion of the empire. • The Guptas could easily exploit the iron ore deposits of central India and southern Bihar, and also took advantage of their proximity to the areas of north India which carried on silk trade with the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman empire). • ‘Garuda’ was probably their state seal. • Historians often consider the Gupta period as the ‘Golden age’ of India’s past as it is often remembered for certain key classical features, such as • The political unification of a large part of the subcontinent under a mostly centralised government. • The production of exceptional Sanskrit literary works, sophisticated stone sculpture. • Architecture and innovative developments in the field of science and technology. • The political history of the Gupta is largely reconstructed on the basis of certain excavated inscriptions and coins. Gupta Dynasty • Maharaja Gupta/Sri Gupta (Founder of Gupta Dynasty) • Maharaja Ghatotkacha Chandragupta – I (c. 319–335/336 CE) • First important king of the Gupta Dynasty; laid the foundations of the Gupta empire and claimed the title of maharajadhiraja (king of kings). • Started Gupta era in 319−20 CE • His empire included parts of modern Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal; with its capital was at Pataliputra. • Enhanced his power and prestige by marrying Kumaradevi, princess of Lichchhavi clan of Nepal • Coins were struck in the joint names of the Emperor, his queen, and the Lichchhavi nation, thereby acknowledging this marital alliance. • Queen Kumaradevi and King Chandragupta I on a coin of their son Samudragupta Samudragupta (c.335/336–375 CE) • Son of Chandragupta I, who followed a policy of war and conquest and enormously enlarged his kingdom. • His rule was one of expansion marked first by the conquest of his immediate neighbours and then by campaigns to the east and the south • Due to this policy of his, the historian V. A. Smith has called him the ‘Napoleon’ of India. • Had a disputed accession to the throne. • His achievements are recorded in a long inscription (an eulogy) engraved on the Allahabad pillar (Prayaga prashasti), whose surface also contains inscriptions of Ashoka and later, the Mughal emperor Jahangir. • Unlike the Ashokan inscription which stresses on peace and non-violence, Samudragupta’s inscription extolling his deeds and virtues stresses on violence and military conquest, and gives us information about his different conquests. • It was composed in pure Sanskrit by Harisena, who was not only his court poet but was also a kumaramatya, that is, a high ranking official who described himself by different titles such as sandhivigrahika (minister for peace and war) and mahadandanayaka (judicial/military officer). • He adopted a different policy for each category. In the first category, located in the Ganga Yamuna doab, he followed a policy of annexation. He defeated nine Naga rulers and incorporated their kingdoms in the Gupta empire. • In the second category, consisting of neighbouring frontier kingdoms and nine republican states of Punjab and western India, Samudragupta’s conquests awed the frontier kings into submission and they agreed to pay tribute and taxes to him and obey his orders without any fight. • He conquered the atavika rajyas, that is, forest kingdoms of central India and forced their rulers into servitude. • The Vindyan forest kingdoms had a strategic value as they held the key of the route to south India. This enabled him to proceed to the south along the eastern coast, conquering twelve kings on the way and reached as far as Kanchi near present day Chennai. • The Prayag prashasti mentions the defeat of the twelve south Indian rulers (together) by Samudragupta (including Vishnugopa of Kanchi). • The ruler of Ceylon sent an embassy to secure privileges for Sinhalese monks at Bodh Gaya. The inscription adds that Samudragupta also received tributes from many kings of south-east Asia. • It is generally believed that though he had spread his influence over a vast area, Samudragupta exercised direct administrative control mainly over Indo-Gangetic basin. • He celebrated his conquests by performing an ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) and by issuing ashvamedha coins (portraying the scene of the sacrifice) marking the occasion. • The magnificence of this monastery was described in the 7th century works of Hieun Tsang/Xuanzang. • He is depicted on his coins both as a muscular warrior (flaunting his victories on a hundreds battlefields) as well as a poet, a musician, and a patron of learning. • He was a great patron of art and adopted the title of Kaviraja (king among poets). • His love for music is attested by his coins that represent him playing on the veena (lyre) on occasion. • Legends on his coins include epithets such as parakramah (brave), apratirathah (invincible), vyaghra-parakramah (brave as a tiger), and ashvamedha-parakramah (powerful enough to perform the ashvamedha). • Though Hindu by practice, he extended his patronage to other religions, and one of his ministers was the great Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. Samudragupta is remembered for his patronage of art and literature. Chandragupta II (c. 376 – 413/15 CE) • According to some legends, Samudragupta was succeeded by his elder son Ramagupta, but Chandragupta II killed him. • It is said that Chandragupta II had to kill his brother and marry his wife, Dhruvadevi, to safeguard the honour of the Gupta dynasty. • The peak of the territorial expansion of the Gupta empire was reached during Chandragupta II’s reign (also known as Chandragupta Vikramaditya), who extended the limits of his empire by conquests and marital alliances with other royal dynasties of the period. • He married Kuberanaga, the Naga princess, and had a daughter, Prabhavati, with her. Prabhavati was married to Rudrasena II of the ruling Vakataka dynasty in Deccan. • After the death of her husband, Prabhavati ruled the territory as regent to her minor sons with the help of her father. • During this twenty year period, the Vakataka realm was practically a part of the Gupta Empire. • Chandragupta thus exercised indirect control over the Vakataka kingdom, which proved very beneficial to him. • With his great influence in this central Indian region, he was able to target his other enemies better. • Thus, he conquered western Malwa and Gujarat from the Shaka satraps (one of them was Rudrasimha III) who had been in command in western India for about the past four centuries. • This conquest took the expanse of the Gupta empire to the western sea coast, which was an important region for trade and commerce. • This contributed to the prosperity of Malwa and its chief city Ujjain, which was also Chandragupta II’s second capital. • An iron pillar inscription at Mehrauli in Delhi indicates that his empire included even north-western India and Bengal. • He took the title of Vikramaditya, that is, the one who is as powerful as the sun, and Simhavikrama. • Iron Pillar, Mehrauli built during the Gupta age • He was the first ruler to issue silver coins. • He also issued copper coins and is referred to as Chandra on his coins. He also issued gold coins called dinara. • The Udaigiri cave inscriptions refer to his digvijaya, that is, his conquest of the whole world. • Fa Hien/Faxian, the famous Chinese traveller, visited India during his reign. • His court at Ujjain was adorned by nine famous scholars known as the Navaratnas (‘nine gems’): • Kalidasa: Renowned classical Sanskrit poet and playwright of India and a peerless genius whose works such as Abhijananashakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvasiyam became famous worldwide. • Amarasimha: Sanskrit lexicographer and poet, and his ‘Amarakosha’ is a vocabulary of Sanskrit roots, homonyms, and synonyms. It is also called Trikanda, as it has three parts containing around ten thousand words. • Varahamihira: Renowned mathematician and astrologer who wrote three important books, the Panchasiddhantika • Dhanvantri: Physician who is considered the father of Ayurveda (literally meaning ‘knowledge for longevity’). • Ghatakarapara : An expert in sculpture and architecture. • Shanku: An architect who wrote the Shilpashastra. • Kahapanaka: An astrologer who wrote the Jyothisyashastra. • Vararuchi: Grammarian and Sanskrit scholar and the author of the Prakrit Prakasha, which is first grammar of the Prakrit language. • Vetala Bhatta: A magician who wrote the Mantrashastra. Kumaragupta I (c.415 – 455 CE) • Adopted the title of Shakraditya and Mahendraditya and performed ashavmedha sacrifice. • Founded the Nalanda University (near present day Patna). • Worshipper of lord Karttikeya (son of Lord Shiva). • During the last years of his reign, peace was disturbed on the north-west frontier due to the invasion of the Huns of Central Asia. • In the mid-5th century, the ye-tha, known as White Huns (Hepthalites), became powerful in the Oxus valley. • After occupying Bactria, the Huns crossed the Hindukush mountains and entered India by occupying Gandhara. • Their first attack during his reign was repulsed by prince Skandagupta.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Notes and Topics: Synopsis of Taranatha's History
    SYNOPSIS OF TARANATHA'S HISTORY Synopsis of chapters I - XIII was published in Vol. V, NO.3. Diacritical marks are not used; a standard transcription is followed. MRT CHAPTER XIV Events of the time of Brahmana Rahula King Chandrapala was the ruler of Aparantaka. He gave offerings to the Chaityas and the Sangha. A friend of the king, Indradhruva wrote the Aindra-vyakarana. During the reign of Chandrapala, Acharya Brahmana Rahulabhadra came to Nalanda. He took ordination from Venerable Krishna and stu­ died the Sravakapitaka. Some state that he was ordained by Rahula­ prabha and that Krishna was his teacher. He learnt the Sutras and the Tantras of Mahayana and preached the Madhyamika doctrines. There were at that time eight Madhyamika teachers, viz., Bhadantas Rahula­ garbha, Ghanasa and others. The Tantras were divided into three sections, Kriya (rites and rituals), Charya (practices) and Yoga (medi­ tation). The Tantric texts were Guhyasamaja, Buddhasamayayoga and Mayajala. Bhadanta Srilabha of Kashmir was a Hinayaist and propagated the Sautrantika doctrines. At this time appeared in Saketa Bhikshu Maha­ virya and in Varanasi Vaibhashika Mahabhadanta Buddhadeva. There were four other Bhandanta Dharmatrata, Ghoshaka, Vasumitra and Bu­ dhadeva. This Dharmatrata should not be confused with the author of Udanavarga, Dharmatrata; similarly this Vasumitra with two other Vasumitras, one being thr author of the Sastra-prakarana and the other of the Samayabhedoparachanachakra. [Translated into English by J. Masuda in Asia Major 1] In the eastern countries Odivisa and Bengal appeared Mantrayana along with many Vidyadharas. One of them was Sri Saraha or Mahabrahmana Rahula Brahmachari. At that time were composed the Mahayana Sutras except the Satasahasrika Prajnaparamita.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas
    The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas Sanjay Sharma Introduction In the post-Vedic period, the centre of activity shifted from the upper Ganga valley or madhyadesha to middle and lower Ganga valleys known in the contemporary Buddhist texts as majjhimadesha. Painted grey ware pottery gave way to a richer and shinier northern black polished ware which signified new trends in commercial activities and rising levels of prosperity. Imprtant features of the period between c. 600 and 321 BC include, inter-alia, rise of ‘heterodox belief systems’ resulting in an intellectual revolution, expansion of trade and commerce leading to the emergence of urban life mainly in the region of Ganga valley and evolution of vast territorial states called the mahajanapadas from the smaller ones of the later Vedic period which, as we have seen, were known as the janapadas. Increased surplus production resulted in the expansion of trading activities on one hand and an increase in the amount of taxes for the ruler on the other. The latter helped in the evolution of large territorial states and increased commercial activity facilitated the growth of cities and towns along with the evolution of money economy. The ruling and the priestly elites cornered most of the agricultural surplus produced by the vaishyas and the shudras (as labourers). The varna system became more consolidated and perpetual. It was in this background that the two great belief systems, Jainism and Buddhism, emerged. They posed serious challenge to the Brahmanical socio-religious philosophy. These belief systems had a primary aim to liberate the lower classes from the fetters of orthodox Brahmanism.
    [Show full text]
  • All Chapters.Pmd
    CHAPTER 5 KINGDOMS, KINGS AND AN EARLEARLEARLY REPUBLIC Election dadaElection y Shankaran woke up to see his grandparents all ready to go and vote. They wanted to be the first to reach the polling booth. Why, Shankaran wanted to know, were they so excited? Somewhat impatiently, his grandfather explained: “We can choose our own rulers today.” HoHoHow some men became rulers Choosing leaders or rulers by voting is something that has become common during the last fifty years or so. How did men become rulers in the past? Some of the rajas we read about in Chapter 4 were probably chosen by the jana, the people. But, around 3000 years ago, we find some changes taking place in the ways in which rajas were chosen.NCERT Some men now became recognised as rajas by perforrepublishedming very big sacrifices. The© ashvamedha or horse sacrifice was one such ritual. Abe horse was let loose to wander freely and it was guarded by the raja’s men. If the horse wanderedto into the kingdoms of other rajas and they stopped it, they had to fight. If they allowed thenot horse to pass, it meant that they accepted that the raja who wanted to perform the sacrifice was stronger than them. These rajas were then invited to the sacrifice, which was performed by specially trained priests, who were rewarded with gifts. The raja who organised the sacrifice was recognised as being very powerful, and all those who came brought gifts for him. The raja was a central figure in these rituals. He often had a special seat, a throne or a tiger n 46 skin.
    [Show full text]
  • The Succession After Kumaragupta I
    Copyright Notice This paper has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, which is published by Cambridge University Press. A final version of the article will be appearing in the JRAS in 2014. 1 The Succession after Kumāragupta I Pankaj Tandon1 Most dynastic lists of the Gupta kings state that Kumāragupta I was succeeded by Skandagupta. However, it is widely accepted that Skandagupta did not accede to the throne peacefully. Nor is it certain that the succession was immediate, since there is a gap between the known dates of Kumāragupta’s and Skandagupta’s reigns. This paper is concerned with the events following the death of Kumāragupta, using numismatic evidence as the primary source, and inscriptional and other epigraphic evidence as further support. Some of the numismatic evidence is new, and even the evidence that is not new has so far received little attention in the literature on the succession after Kumāragupta. Questions are raised about one particular theory that is presently enjoying some currency, that Skandagupta was challenged primarily by his uncle Ghaṭotkacagupta. Some other possible scenarios for the political events in the period after the death of Kumāragupta I will then be proposed and analyzed. Most authors agree that Skandagupta was not the rightful heir to the throne. While he does announce himself on his inscriptions as the son of Kumāragupta I, his mother is not identified by name in any known text or inscription,2 suggesting that he was, at best, the son of a minor queen of Kumāragupta, or more probably the son of a woman who was not a queen at all.
    [Show full text]
  • Gupta Empire and Their Rulers – History Notes
    Gupta Empire and Their Rulers – History Notes Posted On April 28, 2020 By Cgpsc.Info Home » CGPSC Notes » History Notes » Gupta Empire and Their Rulers Gupta Empire and Their Rulers – The Gupta period marks the important phase in the history of ancient India. The long and e¸cient rule of the Guptas made a huge impact on the political, social and cultural sphere. Though the Gupta dynasty was not widespread as the Maurya Empire, but it was successful in creating an empire that is signiÛcant in the history of India. The Gupta period is also known as the “classical age” or “golden age” because of progress in literature and culture. After the downfall of Kushans, Guptas emerged and kept North India politically united for more than a century. Early Rulers of Gupta dynasty (Gupta Empire) :- Srigupta – I (270 – 300 C.E.): He was the Ûrst ruler of Magadha (modern Bihar) who established Gupta dynasty (Gupta Empire) with Pataliputra as its capital. Ghatotkacha Gupta (300 – 319 C.E): Both were not sovereign, they were subordinates of Kushana Rulers Chandragupta I (319 C.E. to 335 C.E.): Laid the foundation of Gupta rule in India. He assumed the title “Maharajadhiraja”. He issued gold coins for the Ûrst time. One of the important events in his period was his marriage with a Lichchavi (Kshatriyas) Princess. The marriage alliance with Kshatriyas gave social prestige to the Guptas who were Vaishyas. He started the Gupta Era in 319-320C.E. Chandragupta I was able to establish his authority over Magadha, Prayaga,and Saketa. Calendars in India 58 B.C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gupta Empire: an Indian Golden Age the Gupta Empire, Which Ruled
    The Gupta Empire: An Indian Golden Age The Gupta Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent from 320 to 550 AD, ushered in a golden age of Indian civilization. It will forever be remembered as the period during which literature, science, and the arts flourished in India as never before. Beginnings of the Guptas Since the fall of the Mauryan Empire in the second century BC, India had remained divided. For 500 years, India was a patchwork of independent kingdoms. During the late third century, the powerful Gupta family gained control of the local kingship of Magadha (modern-day eastern India and Bengal). The Gupta Empire is generally held to have begun in 320 AD, when Chandragupta I (not to be confused with Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Mauryan Empire), the third king of the dynasty, ascended the throne. He soon began conquering neighboring regions. His son, Samudragupta (often called Samudragupta the Great) founded a new capital city, Pataliputra, and began a conquest of the entire subcontinent. Samudragupta conquered most of India, though in the more distant regions he reinstalled local kings in exchange for their loyalty. Samudragupta was also a great patron of the arts. He was a poet and a musician, and he brought great writers, philosophers, and artists to his court. Unlike the Mauryan kings after Ashoka, who were Buddhists, Samudragupta was a devoted worshipper of the Hindu gods. Nonetheless, he did not reject Buddhism, but invited Buddhists to be part of his court and allowed the religion to spread in his realm. Chandragupta II and the Flourishing of Culture Samudragupta was briefly succeeded by his eldest son Ramagupta, whose reign was short.
    [Show full text]
  • Loukota 2019
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles The Goods that Cannot Be Stolen: Mercantile Faith in Kumāralāta’s Garland of Examples Adorned by Poetic Fancy A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures by Diego Loukota Sanclemente 2019 © Copyright by Diego Loukota Sanclemente 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Goods that Cannot Be Stolen: Mercantile Faith in Kumāralāta’s Garland of Examples Adorned by Poetic Fancy by Diego Loukota Sanclemente Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2019 Professor Gregory Schopen, Co-chair Professor Stephanie J. Watkins, Co-chair This dissertation examines the affinity between the urban mercantile classes of ancient India and contemporary Buddhist faith through an examination of the narrative collection Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā Dṛṣṭāntapaṅkti (“Garland of Examples,” henceforth Kumāralāta’s Garland) by the 3rd Century CE Gandhāran monk Kumāralāta. The collection features realistic narratives that portray the religious sensibility of those social classes. I contend that as Kumāralāta’s 3rd Century was one of crisis for cities and for trade in the Indian world, his work reflects an urgent statement of the core values of ii Buddhist urban businesspeople. Kumāralāta’s stories emphasize both religious piety and the pursuit of wealth, a concern for social respectability, a strong work ethic, and an emphasis on rational decision-making. These values inform Kumāralāta’s religious vision of poverty and wealth. His vision of religious giving conjugates economic behavior and religious doctrine, and the outcome is a model that confers religious legitimation to the pursuit of wealth but also an economic outlet for religious fervor and a solid financial basis for the monastic establishment, depicted by Kumāralāta in close interdependence with the laity and, most importantly, within the same social class.
    [Show full text]
  • Teacher Overview: ​What Led to the Gupta Golden Age? How Did The
    Please Read: We encourage all teachers to modify the materials to meet the needs of their students. To create a ​ ​ ​ ​ version of this document that you can edit: 1. Make sure you are signed into a Google account when you are on the resource. 2. Go to the "File" pull down menu in the upper left hand corner and select "Make a Copy." This will give you a version of the document that you own and can modify. Teacher Overview: What led to the Gupta Golden Age? ​ How did the Gupta Golden Age impact India, other regions, and later periods in history? Unit Essential Question(s): How did classical civilizations gain, consolidate, maintain and ​ lose their power? | Link to Unit ​ Supporting Question(s): ● What led to the Gupta Golden Age? How did the Gupta Golden Age impact India, other regions, and later periods in history? Objective(s): ● Contextualize the Gupta Golden Age. ​ ● Explain the impact of the Gupta Golden Age on India, other regions, and later ​ periods in history. Go directly to student-facing materials! Alignment to State Standards 1. NYS Social Studies Framework: ​ Key Idea Conceptual Understandings Content Specifications 9.3 CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS: 9.3c A period of peace, prosperity, and Students will examine the achievements EXPANSION, ACHIEVEMENT, DECLINE: cultural achievements can be designated of Greece, Gupta, Han Dynasty, Maya, Classical civilizations in Eurasia and as a Golden Age. and Rome to determine if the civilizations Mesoamerica employed a variety of experienced a Golden Age. methods to expand and maintain control over vast territories. They developed lasting cultural achievements.
    [Show full text]
  • The Guptas 7
    www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM Lesson The Guptas 7 Learning Objectives To learn the importance of Gupta rule in Indian history. To understand the significance of land grants and its impact on agricultural economy of the empire. To acquaint ourselves with the nature of the society and the socio-economic life of the people of the time. To know the development of culture, art and education during the period. Introduction a golden age, it is not entirely accurate. After the Mauryan empire, many small Many scholars would, however, agree that kingdoms rose and fell. In the period from it was a period of cultural florescence and c. 300 to 700 CE, a classical pattern of an a classical age for the arts. imperial rule evolved, paving the way for state formation in many regions. During Sources this period, the Gupta kingdom emerged There are three types of sources for as a great power and achieved the political reconstructing the history of the Gupta unification of a large part of the Indian period. subcontinent. It featured a strong central government, bringing many kingdoms I. Literary sources under its hegemony. Feudalism as an Narada, Vishnu, Brihaspati and institution began to take root during this Katyayana smritis. period. With an effective guild system and overseas trade, the Gupta economy Kamandaka’s Nitisara, a work on boomed. Great works in Sanskrit were polity addressed to the king (400 CE) produced during this period and a high Devichandraguptam and level of cultural maturity in fine arts, Mudrarakshasam by Vishakadutta sculpture and architecture was achieved.
    [Show full text]
  • Issues in Indian Philosophy and Its History
    4 ISSUESININDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND ITS HISTORY 4.1 DOXOGRAPHY AND CATEGORIZATION Gerdi Gerschheimer Les Six doctrines de spéculation (ṣaṭtarkī) Sur la catégorisation variable des systèmes philosophiques dans lInde classique* ayam eva tarkasyālaņkāro yad apratişţhitatvaņ nāma (Śaģkaraad Brahmasūtra II.1.11, cité par W. Halbfass, India and Europe, p. 280) Les sixaines de darśana During the last centuries, the six-fold group of Vaiśeşika, Nyāya, Sāņkhya, Yoga, Mīmāņ- sā, and Vedānta ( ) hasgained increasing recognition in presentations of Indian philosophy, and this scheme of the systems is generally accepted today.1 Cest en effet cette liste de sys- tèmes philosophiques (darśana) quévoque le plus souvent, pour lindianiste, le terme şađ- darśana. Il est cependant bien connu, également, que le regroupement sous cette étiquette de ces six systèmes brahmaniques orthodoxes est relativement récent, sans doute postérieur au XIIe siècle;2 un survol de la littérature doxographique sanskrite fait apparaître quil nest du reste pas le plus fréquent parmi les configurations censées comprendre lensemble des sys- tèmes.3 La plupart des doxographies incluent en effet des descriptions des trois grands sys- tèmes non brahmaniques, cest-à-dire le matérialisme,4 le bouddhisme et le jaïnisme. Le Yoga en tant que tel et le Vedānta,par contre, sont souvent absents de la liste des systèmes, en particulier avant les XIIIe-XIVe siècles. Il nen reste pas moins que les darśana sont souvent considérés comme étant au nombre de six, quelle quen soit la liste. La prégnance de cette association, qui apparaît dès la première doxographie, le fameux Şađdarśanasamuccaya (Compendium des six systèmes) du jaina Haribhadra (VIIIe s.
    [Show full text]
  • Secondary Indian Culture and Heritage
    Culture: An Introduction MODULE - I Understanding Culture Notes 1 CULTURE: AN INTRODUCTION he English word ‘Culture’ is derived from the Latin term ‘cult or cultus’ meaning tilling, or cultivating or refining and worship. In sum it means cultivating and refining Ta thing to such an extent that its end product evokes our admiration and respect. This is practically the same as ‘Sanskriti’ of the Sanskrit language. The term ‘Sanskriti’ has been derived from the root ‘Kri (to do) of Sanskrit language. Three words came from this root ‘Kri; prakriti’ (basic matter or condition), ‘Sanskriti’ (refined matter or condition) and ‘vikriti’ (modified or decayed matter or condition) when ‘prakriti’ or a raw material is refined it becomes ‘Sanskriti’ and when broken or damaged it becomes ‘vikriti’. OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson you will be able to: understand the concept and meaning of culture; establish the relationship between culture and civilization; Establish the link between culture and heritage; discuss the role and impact of culture in human life. 1.1 CONCEPT OF CULTURE Culture is a way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things Indian Culture and Heritage Secondary Course 1 MODULE - I Culture: An Introduction Understanding Culture that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Naneghat Inscription from the Perspective of the Vedic Rituals
    Multi-Disciplinary Journal ISSN No- 2581-9879 (Online), 0076-2571 (Print) www.mahratta.org, [email protected] Naneghat Inscription from the Perspective of the Vedic Rituals Ambarish Khare Assistant Professor, SBL Centre of Sanskrit and Indological Studies Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth [email protected] Abstract A cave at Naneghat contains a long inscription stating the details of a number of Vedic sacrifices performed by the ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. It throws light on the religious and social history of ancient Maharashtra. The present paper is in attempt to study the inscription from the perspective of the Vedic rituals and to note some interesting facts that come before us. Key-words: Naneghat, Satavahana, Inscription, Vedic Ritual, Shobhana Gokhale, Ashvamedha Introduction Naneghat is one of the ancient trade routes in western India, joining the coastal region to the hinterland. It is situated 34 km to the west of Junnar. Junnar is a taluka place in the district of Pune, Maharahtra. There are several groups of Buddhist caves situated around Junnar. But the cave under consideration, which is situated right in the beginning of Naneghat trade route, is not a religious monument. It houses the royal inscriptions of Satavahanas and mentions several deities and rituals that are important in the Vedic religion. They are written in Brahmi script and in Prakrit language. A long inscription occupies the left and right walls of the cave. It is a generally accepted fact that this inscription was written by Naganika, the most celebrated empress of the Satavahana dynasty. It records the performance of sacrifices and donations given by the royal couple, Siri Satakarni and Naganika.
    [Show full text]